CHOUINARD'S WALK-OFF HOME RUN LIFTS BRYANT INTO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

May 3, 2008          Stonehill Box / Southern Connecticut Box

SYRACUSE, NY - Bryant University's Ali Chouinard (Swansea, Mass.) led off the eighth inning with a walk-off home run giving the Bulldog Softball team a dramatic 3-2 win over Southern Connecticut Saturday afternoon.  The Owls had battled back from a 2-0 deficit on homers by Kerry Iacomini in the third inning and a 2-out shot in the top of the seventh by Kira Wolf, but Chouinard's liner off the top of the left field wall catapulted the Bulldogs into the championship series Sunday with Le Moyne.

Pitcher Janine Enos (Wareham, Mass.), pitching her second game of the day, held the Owls to five hits in eight innings. Earlier in the day the senior had shut out Stonehill on just two hits.

The Bulldogs jumped on the Owls quickly, pushing accross two unearned runs in the first off Owl starter Iacomini on a sacrifice fly by senior Jessica Valentini (Cliffside Park, NJ) and an RBI single by Kate Thomas (Bedford, NH).

That was all the offense for the Bulldogs until the eighth as Iacomini was replaced by star pitcher Jessica Dempsey, who entered the game having not allowed an earned run in 50.3 innings. The Owls were given new life when Wolf's home run narrowly cleared the centerfield wall, tying the game. But the momentum shift was short-lived as Enos rebounded to retire the next four batters, and Chouinard led off the eight with her memorable home run.

Earlier in the morning, Bryant defeated Stonehill 2-0 behind a gem from Enos. The senior went the distance, striking out four. Fellow senior Jennifer Serrano (Stoneham, Mass.) provided all the offense, knocking in Chouinard on a deep double off the left field wall and singling Kim Breton (Leominster, Mass.) in the fifth.

Bryant will now advance to Sunday's Championship round with a best of three starting at 9 a.m. in Syracuse, NY. The Bulldogs will take on #1 seed Le Moyne who dispatched St. Rose and Pace to advance to the final series.